


mr. (un)lucky

by tjstar



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Eve, First Meetings, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, tyler is clumsy and nervous but josh thinks it's cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-03 12:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8714485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjstar/pseuds/tjstar
Summary: “Well done, Josh,” the same voice says.“That’s not my name,” Tyler resents wearily.“Excuse me? Cool. You’re awake.”“I’m Tyler,” Tyler explains. “Not Josh.”“I was just talking to myself,” the guy laughs a little. “I’m Josh.”





	

Tyler Joseph does not like Christmas. He can say he used to — when he was a kid, but the whole growing up thing has made Christmas lose its charm.

Nonetheless, Tyler keeps celebrating it — alone. He kind of wants to get back to his family, but they’re (too independent, too all-sufficient) spending holidays in Hawaii this year. And Tyler is not joining them. It’s like a twisted re-make of Home Alone movie.

Well, loneliness. This word scares the life out of him.

He roams the shopping mall, intending to buy something shiny and amazing and contemplate it all the evening; he walks past the mechanic toys singing Jingle Bells in cartoonish voices and dancing like crazy, those iridescent Merry Christmas posters, fireworks and Christmas cards sprinkled with glitters.

Though, sometimes Tyler forgets he’s a grown up man; he smiles when he enters the beautifully decorated shops, smiles as he sees the crystal clear snow covering the houses and trees like a fuzzy blanket, and the familiar tingly feeling returns, curling in the pit of his tummy. But then, his euphoria fades, the colors aren’t so bright anymore, the smell of the pine trees stops tickling his nostrils, and this Christmas bustle doesn’t seem so appealing anymore.

Honestly, Tyler hates being alone for Christmas.

Tyler doesn’t enjoy being Grinch; he’s about to finish his official Christmas shopping and maybe even drink something stronger than a can of RedBull once he gets home.

He leaves the mall with these heavy thoughts.

He just crosses the street, sinking in the spirit of Christmas and trying not to spoil his own mood; he spots a car, but it’s pretty far away, so Tyler increases his pace. He even forgets about how slippery his boots are.

So, here’s Tyler’s luck.

He knows nothing about the figure skating or about falling, so he’s pretty sure his pirouette doesn’t look graceful — he shouldn’t be thinking of it now, when his back (and then the back of his head, which is the worst) connects with the hard ice crust.

Tyler hears the roaring of the approaching vehicle, dangerously close; he’s still too dizzy to open his eyes when the cacophony of sounds hits through his eardrums: hurried footsteps, mumbling and muffled cussing.

“Dude, I swear I didn’t hit you with my car,” a soft male voice echoes right above Tyler’s face.

Tyler doesn’t respond. That’s awkward. It’s such a good thing it’s just morning, and the flow of cars hasn’t flooded all the streets yet. Maybe Tyler is _a little_ lucky.

Something that feels like a scratchy woolen glove touches his cheek. Tyler’s head is freezing — he’s probably lost his beanie during the fall, but he can’t fetch it right now.

“Well done, Josh,” the same voice says.

“That’s not my name,” Tyler resents wearily.

“Excuse me? Cool. You’re awake.”

“I’m Tyler,” Tyler explains. “Not Josh.”

“I was just talking to myself,” the guy laughs a little. “I’m Josh.”

“You’ve already said that.”

The snow is melting on the collar of Tyler’s parka, he shivers from discomfort and his curiosity doesn’t let him keep lying with his eyes closed tightly. Especially, when he’s still in the middle of the street.

But well, everything kind of loses its shapes when Tyler blinks. He blinks again to recognize Josh’s hand being waved in front of his nose.

“How many fingers do you see?” he asks.

“I see two right hands,” Tyler concludes.

“I doubt that’s okay. Let’s get you out of the road,” Josh decides.

Tyler sits up and rubs his certainly bruised elbow. Josh finds his grey beanie in the pile of snow nearby and pulls it on Tyler’s head. Josh is wearing a grey beanie, too, the color and form are a bit different, but regardless of anything, this makes Tyler feel better.

“I didn’t hit you-” Josh starts as he offers Tyler his shoulder to lean against it.

“I remember, I slipped,” Tyler replies, still confused.

He can stand without the urge to sway sideways, which is great. He takes a step away from Josh and trips over the bumpy ice on the sidewalk.

Josh patiently holds him by his upper arm.

That’s probably the time to start a decent conversation.

“I wanted to buy Christmas lights, I don’t have any,” Tyler utters. He breathes out the tiny cloud and watches it dissipate in the cold air.

“I can lead you back to the shop if you want to,” Josh offers willingly.

“I don’t want anything right now,” Tyler puffs out a sigh. “I think I’m gonna get back home and go to sleep. Where’s the bus stop? I’m a bit disoriented.”

“You don’t have any decorations?” Josh narrows his eyes.

Tyler shakes his head timidly.

“No, I’m… I was just busy, you know,” he looks around, trying to remember the way he came here.

Josh touches his shoulder, the black fingerless glove brushes the rest of the snow off Tyler’s parka.

“Thanks.”

“I feel responsible for your life, man,” Josh gives him a half-smile. “You know, I think I can give you some of my old Christmas stuff? Like, Christmas lights or a snow globe?” he perks up as he says so, smiling wider and revealing his perfectly white teeth.

Tyler responds with the crooked grin and follows this weirdly exited guy who’s just emitting an invisible light that makes the warmth sneak into Tyler’s frozen bones.

“How’s your head, by the way?” Josh asks, opening the passenger door of his grey Volkswagen.  

“I used to get lots of migraines,” Tyler isn’t sure why mouth is saying this. “I mean- I mean, it doesn’t hurt _that_ bad.”

“I bet you hit it pretty hard,” Josh watches him out of the corner of his eye, Tyler can tell it.

And yeah — he’s probably slammed his head way too hard — Tyler is not the kind of guy who appraises some random strangers let alone gets into their cars.

But well, that’s an interesting plot twist.

 

*** 

On their way to Josh’s house Tyler forces himself to look down at his lap, at the glove box, and he tries his best to turn away from Josh. Tyler is not sizing him up, no, really, it’s just hard not to stare — Josh’s hair is ruby red, a curly strand peeks out from underneath the hem of his beanie. The next thing that catches Tyler’s attention is the gauges stretching Josh’s earlobes, and Tyler barely keeps his hand in his pocket not to touch these black plastic things. And also, he kind of wants to poke at the silver ring in Josh’s left nostril.

“I like Christmas,” Josh informs him, pulling the steering wheel.

Tyler suddenly wants to grab Josh’s hand, to run his thumb over the calloused knuckles.

But Tyler clutches the fabric of his parka instead.   

Josh keeps talking to him all the time they spend in the car, keeps beaming, and probably his good mood is contagious.

When Josh stops the car near the two-storey house, Tyler only hopes that Josh is not a maniac, and Tyler won’t be celebrating this Christmas dismembered or handcuffed to the radiator.

Josh guides him down the hallway — the wonderful smell of the pine needles and the homemade food is soaring in the air, and this is it. The Christmas atmosphere, Tyler thinks.

“You’re probably freezing?” Josh is fussing around him, persuading Tyler to take off his parka and beanie and throwing his black jacket on the rack.

“A little,” Tyler gives him a restrained nod.

He scans the room with his gaze, seeing the Christmas ornaments on the brown and white panel walls, a pile of boxes and a wad of red and green holographic wrapping paper with the reindeers print.

“Lying in the snow is not funny- Tyler?” Josh asks as if he’s making sure that Tyler still remembers his name.

Tyler scratches the back of his head, his fingertips touch the small bump there.

“This was embarrassing,” Tyler says. “Stupid boots.”

“I barely managed to apply the brake,” Josh gestures at Tyler to follow him. “You were born under a lucky star, dude.”

“No, I’m not,” Tyler scoffs. Lucky people don’t celebrate Christmas alone.

He enters the living room and sees the source of that amazing smell — a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, decorated with the red and silver balls of different sizes, golden bows and electric Christmas lights.

Josh wraps his arm around Tyler’s shoulder, leading him towards the plush couch; Tyler sinks between the cushions, not wanting to move at least for the next couple years.

“Man, I’m still feeling guilty,” Josh mutters, fumbling with the sleeves of his knit sweater with a kitten in a party hat on the front. Tyler’s old black hoodie doesn’t look pretty. “Would you mind if I bring you some hot chocolate? Tea?”

“Hot chocolate?” Tyler distracts himself from staring at the carpet. “I mean, I don’t want to bother you-” 

“No worries. I just want to be polite with the guy who sprawled on the ground right in front of my car. Wait a minute,” Josh snaps his fingers and leaves the room.

Tyler hears him singing ‘Last Christmas’ in the kitchen. He continues to inspect the room, finding plastic pumpkins on the windowsill, draped with the fake snow. Josh probably likes Halloween as well. The curtains are braided with the strings of lights — this is a weird design idea, but it magically fits with the other details in the living room.

When Josh comes back, holding two huge mugs, Tyler nearly drops the snow globe he’s holding in his hands — they’re trembling on their own, making the snowflakes jump and swirl around the tiny house captured in the glass ball.

Josh flashes him a toothy grin.

“It’s beautiful,” Tyler says thoughtfully, giving the globe one more twist. The snow gathers on the rooftop. “When I was little, I was afraid to shake the toys like this one. I thought I was causing an earthquake, but I didn’t want to hurt the people in the globe. And I cried because of that,” he continues apologetically.

“Let’s imagine that you’re causing just a blizzard,” Josh comforts him. He hands Tyler a mug and flops down next to him. “You said you’re celebrating alone?”

“Yeah. Can’t reach for my family this year,” Tyler replies, slurping the hot chocolate. “And what about you? Throwing a party, _of course_?”

This sounds a bit acrimoniously. Because Josh doesn’t look like a party animal.

Though, Josh doesn’t seem to get offended.

“Nah, just gonna eat until I burst and then maybe shoot a firework in the backyard, eat even more and go to sleep,” he chortles.

“But…” Tyler points at the Christmas tree and other decorations. “This?”

“I don’t do this for someone, you know. I just like it,” Josh says, swallowing the hot drink. “My family is visiting me next week, so I won’t be alone till the end of the holidays.”

Tyler is a little envious.

“Sounds good,” he admits politely.

This hot chocolate is the best thing he’s ever drank.

“Wanna celebrate Christmas with me?” Josh offers excitedly, nearly making Tyler spit a mouthful of liquid back into the mug.

“What’s the catch?” Tyler asks carefully. And his hands are tremoring again, raising a tsunami in the mug. The last thing he wants to do is letting some of the chocolate splatter out of the ceramic.

“You’re hella cute when you’re nervous,” Josh shrugs. “But don’t worry, I’m not hitting on you… yet.”

Tyler feels like he’s sitting on the heater. _Josh is about to flirt with him-_

“I haven’t dated anyone since college,” Tyler confesses. “That guy… We were fighting a lot, like, I mean the real fights. Not just yelling,” he clarifies.

He doesn’t like sharing his problems with someone else, not even with his parents or siblings, but well, all the odd things he’s doing (and saying) today can be blamed on a mild concussion.

“All of my exes had broken up with me on Christmas. I think I’m supposed to hate this day, but I just hate Valentine’s Day instead,” Josh cackles. “That’s not a big deal.”

“If this makes you feel better, I can say that I hate Valentine’s Day, too,” Tyler takes another gulp. “Thank you so much for… not leaving me lying on the street,” he finishes, feeling the stupid blush creeping up his neck.

“I wanted to drive away at first, to be honest.”

“And now you regret you didn’t?”

Tyler can swear Josh’s cheeks and the tip of his nose turn a lovely shade of pink.

“Is it just me or do you always act like this?” Josh wonders.

Tyler sticks his tongue out at him.

Josh doesn’t let him think too much, which is good-

“And what do you think about the snowball fight? If your head feels fine, of course.”   

Tyler doesn’t know why he nods.

 

***

At least, neither of them wins, Tyler guesses as they get back to Josh’s house in the evening, laughing and tugging off their snow-soaked clothes; Tyler kind of likes the black scratchy scarf and these mittens with the Scandinavian pattern Josh gave him.

“You look like a snowman,” Josh jokes good-naturedly while Tyler checks himself up in the full-length mirror.

“Because you shoved me into the snowbank a couple times,” Tyler thinks it was such a weird way to put the ice on all the aching areas, but he doesn’t complain.

“I hope you like homemade pizza,” Josh hollers from the kitchen.

“Yes,” Tyler yells back.

There’s the sound of the tinfoil rustling.

“And cookies?” Josh hollers again.

“And cookies,” Tyler accepts.

That’s probably a parallel Universe — the only way to explain why Tyler is doing the things he’s usually trying to steer clear of.

Josh turns on the illumination in each room, the dim lights of different colors make them look mysteriously appealing. They relish their late dinner, watching the shows on the TV, and Tyler begins to think this delicious food gives him energy to handle the never-ending holidays.

When it’s midnight, Josh urges him to leave the house again, only to shoot the firework Josh has mentioned before. It’s a snowy night, but the dome of the sky is clear, and Tyler throws his head back to watch the multicolored flowers blooming in the galaxies above their heads.

The noise and the flashes in the sky don’t hurt Tyler’s brain.

The family from the opposite house is singing songs in the front yard, their kids are thrashing in the snow, making angel-shaped prints, and the winter doesn’t seem so cold.

Josh holds Tyler’s hand, a fingerless glove feels a bit rough against the bare skin of Tyler’s palm. Tyler smiles sincerely — Josh looks at him and perks up too and knocks his beanie to the side.

Tyler likes warm grey beanies.

Josh looks like a Christmas elf with his almond eyes, the tiny diamonds of ice tangled in bright red curls. Tyler likes this as well.

 _Jiggling the snow globe might cause a blizzard_ , Tyler repeats mentally. It’s like his life is enclosed in the glass ball, and the ubiquitous snow makes his surroundings look like the decorations for the Christmas movie. With the happy ending, probably.  

“Merry Christmas, Tyler,” Josh exclaims joyfully.

And Josh hugs him. Josh is definitely Tyler’s type.

He is no longer scared of loneliness.

Tyler licks the melting snowflakes off his lips before saying-

“Merry Christmas, Josh!”   

**Author's Note:**

> still a bit early, BUT: merry christmas!


End file.
